Sunday, April 14, 2013

failures and joys - motherhood

Thanks so much to my amazing, wise sister, Janelle, for sending me to www.thebettermom.com to warm my heart and make me cry tears of relief and thankfulness at the reminder that I am not called to be a perfect Mom, just a Mom. Although my job as Mom to three fabulous daughters is important, I am not responsible for the results - only to do the best I can with what I know and have. The results belong to God - who loves my girls way more that I ever could. After reading this post, I am inspired to write my own 2 lists.

Often leftovers sit in my fridge for weeks after they should be thrown in the composter - weeks!

I haven't actually reached the bottom of my dirty-laundry bin in months.

I have a lot of guilt about the times I lose my temper and yell at the girls - usually brought on by their bickering (yeah, and yelling is so much better than bickering).

I still, at this age, find myself wanting to sulk when things aren't going my way. Sometimes I do.

The good news: God gives good gifts. Only. I am trusting Him to make right the things that I keep messing up. Why would He do this for me? Many reasons: He loves to do things for me. He promises to give us the desires of our hearts when we trust Him. He loves my three girls - they are His.

And the amazing bits of goodness He gives right now?....

My daughters may bicker or give nasty looks, but they never throw temper tantrums. Ever.

The very best part of my week is reading The Secret Garden to Marcella and Laurie on Monday and Tuesday nights. I'm pretty sure it's the best part of their week too.

All the girls at work love it when Ashlin comes in to work on Saturdays. They really think she's a neat kid and an interesting human.

I am always confident that the girls will be respectful and polite when they are out with others - whether I'm there or not.

We often find our entire family laughing hysterically at the dinner table because any one of the girls said something funny. They all have a great sense of humor. And they are usually good at laughing at themselves.

Because the girls spend so much time on their own, they have learned to be really independant. They can make eggs, mashed potatoes, canned soups, and gravy-from-scratch.

I am grabbing on to the fruit of the spirit that I have access to: Love, come reign in my house; Joy, fill our hearts and minds; Peace, cast out the discord that tries to take over our days; Patience, cover me and fill me and pour out of me; Kindness, show up when we have lost sight of you; Goodness, flow out of our beings the way God designed us to be; Faithfulness, hold us accountable and keep us on track; Gentleness, be infused into our conversation every day; Self Control, be there when we come to the end of our natural ability to cope. Thanks to Corrie ten Boom for reminding me (in her book, Tramp for the Lord) that we have access to all of these through the Holy Spirit who indwells us - we need only to claim them!

3 comments:

awww that is so sweet<3 i have always loved you and your cheerful spirit, i think im the way i am today is alot of what you did for me and showed me i. sunday school and at your house. i miss sunday school and having you as my teacher and when Janelle introduced me to you. i will never forget both of you and the impact you had on my life and still do:-) i wish you could meet Bailey, she is so much like me in so many ways, she is always smiling and laughing and being cheerful. God Bless you! you are such an amazing woman and mother. your girls are so beautiful

About Me

I am a mother of 3 amazing teenagers, struggling to balance home and work. A few years ago, Colin, my husband, and I opened a dessert restaurant called Sweet Hereafter. We make and sell delicious cheesecake. My crazy life is stablized by a deep longing to know God who is Love and Truth and Life; a longing that is satisfied in the small moments of life (where I least expect to find God!)